Summary"Distinguishing between conscious and unconscious processes is a fundamental issue for our understanding of the human mind. Most research on this topic has been limited to a static perspective, by studying static stimuli, by considering processing as a function of present information, and by focusing on a single, adult stage of development. Yet, both conscious and unconscious mental processes are intrinsically driven by dynamic properties. We will study these properties by relying on behavioral and brain imaging methods along three tracks:
1) Unconscious perception: Our visual system is, in real life, constantly receiving unconscious sequences of information that will generate dynamic and constantly updated processing streams. We will study these dynamic unconscious streams, thanks to Gaze-Contingent Substitution, a novel approach allowing for the presentation of subliminal videos and sequences of stimuli.
2) Conscious perception: Construction of a conscious percept does not only depend on present stimulation but also on interactions with prior knowledge. Relying on the Bayesian framework, we will study the mechanisms by which prior knowledge leads to the reconstruction of perceptual contents, by ""filling-in"" missing information during situations of partial awareness.
3) The maturation of consciousness: Using both psychophysical measures of visibility thresholds and high-density EEG, we will study the neural distinction between conscious and unconscious processes in pre-verbal infants, and whether consciousness develops through the maturation of posterior brain regions encoding sensory information, or rather anterior prefrontal regions related to attention and executive control.
The expected impact of the project will be 1) to evidence sequential and complex forms of subliminal influences 2) to specify the cognitive mechanisms leading to perceptual illusions 3) to provide new insights on the mystery of how consciousness develops in humans."

"Distinguishing between conscious and unconscious processes is a fundamental issue for our understanding of the human mind. Most research on this topic has been limited to a static perspective, by studying static stimuli, by considering processing as a function of present information, and by focusing on a single, adult stage of development. Yet, both conscious and unconscious mental processes are intrinsically driven by dynamic properties. We will study these properties by relying on behavioral and brain imaging methods along three tracks:
1) Unconscious perception: Our visual system is, in real life, constantly receiving unconscious sequences of information that will generate dynamic and constantly updated processing streams. We will study these dynamic unconscious streams, thanks to Gaze-Contingent Substitution, a novel approach allowing for the presentation of subliminal videos and sequences of stimuli.
2) Conscious perception: Construction of a conscious percept does not only depend on present stimulation but also on interactions with prior knowledge. Relying on the Bayesian framework, we will study the mechanisms by which prior knowledge leads to the reconstruction of perceptual contents, by ""filling-in"" missing information during situations of partial awareness.
3) The maturation of consciousness: Using both psychophysical measures of visibility thresholds and high-density EEG, we will study the neural distinction between conscious and unconscious processes in pre-verbal infants, and whether consciousness develops through the maturation of posterior brain regions encoding sensory information, or rather anterior prefrontal regions related to attention and executive control.
The expected impact of the project will be 1) to evidence sequential and complex forms of subliminal influences 2) to specify the cognitive mechanisms leading to perceptual illusions 3) to provide new insights on the mystery of how consciousness develops in humans."

Max ERC Funding

1 437 520 €

Duration

Start date: 2011-02-01, End date: 2016-01-31

Project acronymGEODIVERCITY

ProjectAnalysing and Modelling the Geographical Diversity of Cities and Systems of Cities

SummaryCities are today the main form of occupation of the Earth’s surface by human societies, and their development, combining design and self-organisation, sets numerous challenges in terms of collective territorial intelligence. On the scale of national and continent-wide territories, or indeed world-wide territories for the largest, cities are interconnected by way of numerous networks, in particular economic networks, that make them increasingly interdependent and associate them one with another in a process of co-evolution within which they have to structure and adapt conjointly. It is also important to underline the existence of path dependence processes, whereby the mark of previous choices is retained over several centuries in urban morphology, and often over several decades in social or economic specialisations. The present project sets out to gather the main stylised facts making up our knowledge about the dynamics of complex urban systems that has been acquired from observation and different analytical modelling processes, and to use them in new simulation models so as to reconstruct the interaction networks making up these systems. These models will be validated using a multi-scale procedure based on temporal geo-referenced data bases. The generic model SIMPOP will be completed and transferred to an open and scalable simulation platform, and specific versions will be developed and tested for the main regions of the world. The ultimate aim is to provide a series of validated models able to provide medium-term forecasts of the way in which the main urban and global territorial balances will evolve, and to explore scenarios whereby these city systems might adapt to the policies enacted aiming to counter the effects of climate change.

Cities are today the main form of occupation of the Earth’s surface by human societies, and their development, combining design and self-organisation, sets numerous challenges in terms of collective territorial intelligence. On the scale of national and continent-wide territories, or indeed world-wide territories for the largest, cities are interconnected by way of numerous networks, in particular economic networks, that make them increasingly interdependent and associate them one with another in a process of co-evolution within which they have to structure and adapt conjointly. It is also important to underline the existence of path dependence processes, whereby the mark of previous choices is retained over several centuries in urban morphology, and often over several decades in social or economic specialisations. The present project sets out to gather the main stylised facts making up our knowledge about the dynamics of complex urban systems that has been acquired from observation and different analytical modelling processes, and to use them in new simulation models so as to reconstruct the interaction networks making up these systems. These models will be validated using a multi-scale procedure based on temporal geo-referenced data bases. The generic model SIMPOP will be completed and transferred to an open and scalable simulation platform, and specific versions will be developed and tested for the main regions of the world. The ultimate aim is to provide a series of validated models able to provide medium-term forecasts of the way in which the main urban and global territorial balances will evolve, and to explore scenarios whereby these city systems might adapt to the policies enacted aiming to counter the effects of climate change.

SummaryMy project is to write a new history of the Almohad Empire (1130-1269). This local dynasty of Berber origins ruled simultaneously over South and North of the Western Mediterranean. For the first time in history, the whole Maghreb was united under an indigenous authority. This unique historical period witnessed very important process, the political and religious separation from the East through Mahdism , and the nearly successful transfer of Islamic prophetic authority from the Arabic core to Western lands.
In order to understand the exercise of power in the largest Western Muslim medieval Empire ever, I intend to use the important but largely ignored letters of the Almohad Chancery. There survive 300 documents, some of them too hastily published, which need a new scholarly edition and a usable translation. While it is well known that the Medieval Islamic world lacks in preserved archives, the review of those Letters of victory, defeat, information, advice, allegiance or reproaches will provide historians with materials that should allow a rejuvenation of the history of North African medieval land.
Indeed the prevailing master narratives of the History of the medieval Maghreb is based on narrative sources. They have been systematically used as the foundation for a positivistic history.
Understanding this development requires tackling the contemporary non-narrative documentary record. Yet the technical difficulties presented by the highly literary and poetic language of the chancery documents have largely barred their use by historians.
This project is a methodical attempt to address this critical problem. The project will have four stages:1) taking stock of the unedited administrative documents from North Africa between the 11th and the 13thC. 2) editing of the entire corpus 3) translation of all these documents 4) presentation of a synthetic historical, linguistic and religious analysis through scholarly publications and a dedicated website

My project is to write a new history of the Almohad Empire (1130-1269). This local dynasty of Berber origins ruled simultaneously over South and North of the Western Mediterranean. For the first time in history, the whole Maghreb was united under an indigenous authority. This unique historical period witnessed very important process, the political and religious separation from the East through Mahdism , and the nearly successful transfer of Islamic prophetic authority from the Arabic core to Western lands.
In order to understand the exercise of power in the largest Western Muslim medieval Empire ever, I intend to use the important but largely ignored letters of the Almohad Chancery. There survive 300 documents, some of them too hastily published, which need a new scholarly edition and a usable translation. While it is well known that the Medieval Islamic world lacks in preserved archives, the review of those Letters of victory, defeat, information, advice, allegiance or reproaches will provide historians with materials that should allow a rejuvenation of the history of North African medieval land.
Indeed the prevailing master narratives of the History of the medieval Maghreb is based on narrative sources. They have been systematically used as the foundation for a positivistic history.
Understanding this development requires tackling the contemporary non-narrative documentary record. Yet the technical difficulties presented by the highly literary and poetic language of the chancery documents have largely barred their use by historians.
This project is a methodical attempt to address this critical problem. The project will have four stages:1) taking stock of the unedited administrative documents from North Africa between the 11th and the 13thC. 2) editing of the entire corpus 3) translation of all these documents 4) presentation of a synthetic historical, linguistic and religious analysis through scholarly publications and a dedicated website

SummaryIn biological systems many tissue types have evolved a barrier function to selectively allow the transport of matter from the lumen to tissue beneath. Characterization of these barriers is very important as their disruption or malfunction is often indicative of toxicity/disease. The degree of barrier integrity is also a key indicator of the appropriateness of in vitro models for use in toxicology/drug screening. The advent of organic electronics has created a unique opportunity to interface the worlds of electronics and biology, using devices such as the organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), that provides a very sensitive way to detect minute ionic currents. This proposal aims to integrate the barrier function of biological systems with OECTs to yield devices that can detect minute disruptions in barrier function. Specifically, OECTs will be integrated with cell monolayers that form tight junctions and with membranes that incorporate ion channels. A disruption in tight junctions or a change in permeability of ion channels will be detected by the OECT. These devices will have unprecedented sensitivity, in a format that can be mass produced at low-cost. The potential benefits of this multidisciplinary project are numerous: It will be a vehicle for fundamental research in life sciences and the development of new in vitro models for toxicology screening of disruptive agents and the development of drugs to treat disorders linked with barrier tissue malfunction (e.g. mutations in ion channels). Moreover, through the use of various cell lines and ion channels, this platform will also lead to the engineering of new sensors and biomedical instrumentation, with a host of applications in medical diagnostics, food/water safety, homeland security and environmental protection.

In biological systems many tissue types have evolved a barrier function to selectively allow the transport of matter from the lumen to tissue beneath. Characterization of these barriers is very important as their disruption or malfunction is often indicative of toxicity/disease. The degree of barrier integrity is also a key indicator of the appropriateness of in vitro models for use in toxicology/drug screening. The advent of organic electronics has created a unique opportunity to interface the worlds of electronics and biology, using devices such as the organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), that provides a very sensitive way to detect minute ionic currents. This proposal aims to integrate the barrier function of biological systems with OECTs to yield devices that can detect minute disruptions in barrier function. Specifically, OECTs will be integrated with cell monolayers that form tight junctions and with membranes that incorporate ion channels. A disruption in tight junctions or a change in permeability of ion channels will be detected by the OECT. These devices will have unprecedented sensitivity, in a format that can be mass produced at low-cost. The potential benefits of this multidisciplinary project are numerous: It will be a vehicle for fundamental research in life sciences and the development of new in vitro models for toxicology screening of disruptive agents and the development of drugs to treat disorders linked with barrier tissue malfunction (e.g. mutations in ion channels). Moreover, through the use of various cell lines and ion channels, this platform will also lead to the engineering of new sensors and biomedical instrumentation, with a host of applications in medical diagnostics, food/water safety, homeland security and environmental protection.

SummaryAdult speakers of a language know several tens of thousands of words. Unless they suffer from some neurological disorders, those words can be readily used on a daily basis. This is done by retrieving lexical information from long term memory, and selecting its most relevant aspects. Cognitive models of word selection distinguish stages of processing concerned with semantic, lexical, and form properties of the words. Contrastive hypothesis have been considered to describe how appropriate lexical items are uniquely identified among all known words. Various sections of temporal cortex are known to play a prominent role in lexico-semantic processing, whereas frontal cortex is known to act as a controller of memory retrieval. More specifically, posterior left lateral and medial areas are capable to detect and resolve conflict among candidate words in cases where uncertainty arises.
Despite detailed accounts, current descriptions of lexical information processes are rather static. Discussions of cognitive processing models have often been framed on structural, rather than dynamical, arguments. In addition, a vast majority of studies characterizing lexical information processing are based on low temporal resolution brain imaging techniques. The main objective of this project is to go beyond these descriptions by characterizing the spatio-temporal dynamics of word selection processes.
The evidence will come from electro-encephalographic (EEG) and magneto-encephalographic (MEG) recordings of brain activity elicited in well-defined cognitive tasks. Innovative temporal pre-processes should allow discriminating brain activity from articulation artefacts. The evidence will also come from intra-cranial event related potentials, recorded in patients suffering from pharmaco-resistant forms of frontal and temporal lobe epilepsy. These data have high spatial and temporal resolution, and will provide strong constrains on lexical information processing models.
A description of the dynamic interactions between brain regions during word selection will change the way we think about this basic behaviour. Besides this intrinsic interest, word selection provides a very natural way to connect relatively simple decision processes (e.g. those engaged in basic visuo-motor tasks) with more integrative processes involved in information retrieval from long term memory. Better understanding the spatio-temporal dynamics of lexical information processes will also be highly valuable for improving pre-surgical evaluation procedures in pharmaco-resistant epilepsy.

Adult speakers of a language know several tens of thousands of words. Unless they suffer from some neurological disorders, those words can be readily used on a daily basis. This is done by retrieving lexical information from long term memory, and selecting its most relevant aspects. Cognitive models of word selection distinguish stages of processing concerned with semantic, lexical, and form properties of the words. Contrastive hypothesis have been considered to describe how appropriate lexical items are uniquely identified among all known words. Various sections of temporal cortex are known to play a prominent role in lexico-semantic processing, whereas frontal cortex is known to act as a controller of memory retrieval. More specifically, posterior left lateral and medial areas are capable to detect and resolve conflict among candidate words in cases where uncertainty arises.
Despite detailed accounts, current descriptions of lexical information processes are rather static. Discussions of cognitive processing models have often been framed on structural, rather than dynamical, arguments. In addition, a vast majority of studies characterizing lexical information processing are based on low temporal resolution brain imaging techniques. The main objective of this project is to go beyond these descriptions by characterizing the spatio-temporal dynamics of word selection processes.
The evidence will come from electro-encephalographic (EEG) and magneto-encephalographic (MEG) recordings of brain activity elicited in well-defined cognitive tasks. Innovative temporal pre-processes should allow discriminating brain activity from articulation artefacts. The evidence will also come from intra-cranial event related potentials, recorded in patients suffering from pharmaco-resistant forms of frontal and temporal lobe epilepsy. These data have high spatial and temporal resolution, and will provide strong constrains on lexical information processing models.
A description of the dynamic interactions between brain regions during word selection will change the way we think about this basic behaviour. Besides this intrinsic interest, word selection provides a very natural way to connect relatively simple decision processes (e.g. those engaged in basic visuo-motor tasks) with more integrative processes involved in information retrieval from long term memory. Better understanding the spatio-temporal dynamics of lexical information processes will also be highly valuable for improving pre-surgical evaluation procedures in pharmaco-resistant epilepsy.

Max ERC Funding

1 251 345 €

Duration

Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2016-03-31

Project acronymMAGNETALS

ProjectTunable array of magnetic nano-crystals designed at the atomic scale: engineering high performance magnetic materials using hybrid organic-inorganic nano-architectures

SummaryThe storage density of computer hard drives is growing so rapidly that for new computer drive generations not only optimized materials are needed but also new concepts for data storage. Last decades, higher storage densities on computer disks were achieved by optimization of magnetic materials, i.e. the magnetic grains were gradually shrunk while, at the same time, the magnetic stability was increased. The nowadays smallest storage unit is made up 100 to 600 grains, that form one bit. Each grain is about 10 nanometres in size. These grains are arranged next to each other on substrates that are plated with magnetic metals. Decreasing further the size and amount of the grains necessary for one bit is now irremediably affecting the signal/noise ratio, weaker signals leading to loss of information. Therefore, new concepts for magnetic storage media have to be found.
Material reduced size leads to novel properties totally different from bulk properties. In our project we will engineer matter at the atomic and molecular level and develop advanced construction methods to build new functionalised materials for magnetic storage. We propose a multidisciplinary research project, that aims to explore various aspects related to magnetic properties of highly organised organic-inorganic nano-architectures. We will engineer tunable supramolecular assemblies to host and organise inorganic shape-selected magnetic nanocrystals. Due to the sensitive interrelation of magnetism and the atomic structure of these systems, any induced nanostructure modification will result in changes of the magnetism. Our ability to tailor nanocrystal size, composition, structure, shape and position will allow us to tune magnetism at the atomic scale. We will thus be able to design and produce new high density hybrid nano-architectures having gigantic magnetic performance, i.e., huge magnetostatic energy stored and a high blocking temperature. This research therefore has the potential to make a considerable impact on the high density data storage industry

The storage density of computer hard drives is growing so rapidly that for new computer drive generations not only optimized materials are needed but also new concepts for data storage. Last decades, higher storage densities on computer disks were achieved by optimization of magnetic materials, i.e. the magnetic grains were gradually shrunk while, at the same time, the magnetic stability was increased. The nowadays smallest storage unit is made up 100 to 600 grains, that form one bit. Each grain is about 10 nanometres in size. These grains are arranged next to each other on substrates that are plated with magnetic metals. Decreasing further the size and amount of the grains necessary for one bit is now irremediably affecting the signal/noise ratio, weaker signals leading to loss of information. Therefore, new concepts for magnetic storage media have to be found.
Material reduced size leads to novel properties totally different from bulk properties. In our project we will engineer matter at the atomic and molecular level and develop advanced construction methods to build new functionalised materials for magnetic storage. We propose a multidisciplinary research project, that aims to explore various aspects related to magnetic properties of highly organised organic-inorganic nano-architectures. We will engineer tunable supramolecular assemblies to host and organise inorganic shape-selected magnetic nanocrystals. Due to the sensitive interrelation of magnetism and the atomic structure of these systems, any induced nanostructure modification will result in changes of the magnetism. Our ability to tailor nanocrystal size, composition, structure, shape and position will allow us to tune magnetism at the atomic scale. We will thus be able to design and produce new high density hybrid nano-architectures having gigantic magnetic performance, i.e., huge magnetostatic energy stored and a high blocking temperature. This research therefore has the potential to make a considerable impact on the high density data storage industry

SummaryHumans and other animals possess dedicated systems of core knowledge to represent numeric and geometric information. In the case of number at least, these representations are abstract (independent of the format of the stimuli represented), they are present early in life, and they can be used to compute the outcome of simple arithmetic problems. Such intuitive knowledge is thought to guide the acquisition of elaborate concepts of numbers and geometry. However, core systems of representations for numbers and geometry fall short of providing the representational power to support even the most fundamental mathematical concepts: Integers, and Euclidean geometry. In this research project, we are seeking to understand the process of knowledge construction by which children acquire adult-like numeric and geometric concepts, focusing on two case studies: exact numbers, and plane angles. Our approach is multidisciplinary, bringing together researchers from the fields of developmental psychology, cognitive neuroimaging, and linguistics. For both number and geometry, we will first start by characterizing core intuitions in behavioural studies involving infants and children. Second, we will look at the factors influencing the acquisition of more elaborate concepts based these core intuitions. In order to separate the factors of age, education, and environment, we will conduct studies with occidental children, as well as children and adults from the Amazon. Third, we ultimately aim at studying the neural bases of conceptual changes in childhood, and in this perspective we are planning brain imagining experiments in adults. Once we have a thorough description of the neural codes for number and geometry in adults, we will be in position to ask which aspects of the code have undergone change during childhood, as new knowledge was being constructed.

Humans and other animals possess dedicated systems of core knowledge to represent numeric and geometric information. In the case of number at least, these representations are abstract (independent of the format of the stimuli represented), they are present early in life, and they can be used to compute the outcome of simple arithmetic problems. Such intuitive knowledge is thought to guide the acquisition of elaborate concepts of numbers and geometry. However, core systems of representations for numbers and geometry fall short of providing the representational power to support even the most fundamental mathematical concepts: Integers, and Euclidean geometry. In this research project, we are seeking to understand the process of knowledge construction by which children acquire adult-like numeric and geometric concepts, focusing on two case studies: exact numbers, and plane angles. Our approach is multidisciplinary, bringing together researchers from the fields of developmental psychology, cognitive neuroimaging, and linguistics. For both number and geometry, we will first start by characterizing core intuitions in behavioural studies involving infants and children. Second, we will look at the factors influencing the acquisition of more elaborate concepts based these core intuitions. In order to separate the factors of age, education, and environment, we will conduct studies with occidental children, as well as children and adults from the Amazon. Third, we ultimately aim at studying the neural bases of conceptual changes in childhood, and in this perspective we are planning brain imagining experiments in adults. Once we have a thorough description of the neural codes for number and geometry in adults, we will be in position to ask which aspects of the code have undergone change during childhood, as new knowledge was being constructed.

Max ERC Funding

1 394 130 €

Duration

Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2016-08-31

Project acronymMINDTIME

ProjectFrom implicit timing in the brain to explicit time abstraction in the mind

Summary"When is ""now""? What mental representations and neural computations mediate the construction of our perceived present? If seeing starts through the retinal transduction of photons, there is no dedicated sensory receptor for the transduction of time per se; as such, time perception offers a particularly challenging problem to our understanding of human cognition. Indeed, time is a prime example of perceptual construct shaped by the anatomical and dynamical constraints of the nervous system. To clarify the principles and the mental operations underlying time perception, this research proposal focuses on a novel theoretical framework for the understanding of how the human mind affords the temporal experience of ""now"". The empirical work proposed here narrows down the problem to three specific questions which are addressed using psychophysical measures combined with sophisticated brain imaging methods that have excellent temporal resolution, namely magneto- and electro-encephalography (thereafter referred to as MEEG). (i) The first empirical question asks whether our perceptual present reflects the objective present, future or the objective past. Said differently, is the perceived present slightly off with respect to the objective reality? And if so, does it reflect predictive and/or postdictive brain mechanisms? (ii) The second question focuses on the representation of time in the brain. All senses provide latent means to encode temporal information and brain dynamics are likely to convey the raw material for time perception in an amodal form (i.e. independent of sensory modality). The passage from neural dynamics to perceptual abstraction of time is not trivial considering, for instance, the inherent asynchronies of neural processing times. This experiment tests the perception of duration within and across sensory modalities to systematically derive the perceptual resolution afforded by our sense of time. (iii) The third question focuses on tracking the construction of ""now"" by using an illusion resulting from the transformation of veridical temporal properties of events into an explicit temporal construct. An ambitious challenge in this experiment will be to develop a brain classifying/decoding technique using MEEG signals to track the evolution from the veridical encoding of temporal properties to the construction of the illusory percept of time. The goal of this research proposal is to provide a novel approach to the study of time perception. Extension of this work will pave the way to a better understanding of what distinguishes temporal processing impairments from explicit time perception impairments in clinical disorders."

"When is ""now""? What mental representations and neural computations mediate the construction of our perceived present? If seeing starts through the retinal transduction of photons, there is no dedicated sensory receptor for the transduction of time per se; as such, time perception offers a particularly challenging problem to our understanding of human cognition. Indeed, time is a prime example of perceptual construct shaped by the anatomical and dynamical constraints of the nervous system. To clarify the principles and the mental operations underlying time perception, this research proposal focuses on a novel theoretical framework for the understanding of how the human mind affords the temporal experience of ""now"". The empirical work proposed here narrows down the problem to three specific questions which are addressed using psychophysical measures combined with sophisticated brain imaging methods that have excellent temporal resolution, namely magneto- and electro-encephalography (thereafter referred to as MEEG). (i) The first empirical question asks whether our perceptual present reflects the objective present, future or the objective past. Said differently, is the perceived present slightly off with respect to the objective reality? And if so, does it reflect predictive and/or postdictive brain mechanisms? (ii) The second question focuses on the representation of time in the brain. All senses provide latent means to encode temporal information and brain dynamics are likely to convey the raw material for time perception in an amodal form (i.e. independent of sensory modality). The passage from neural dynamics to perceptual abstraction of time is not trivial considering, for instance, the inherent asynchronies of neural processing times. This experiment tests the perception of duration within and across sensory modalities to systematically derive the perceptual resolution afforded by our sense of time. (iii) The third question focuses on tracking the construction of ""now"" by using an illusion resulting from the transformation of veridical temporal properties of events into an explicit temporal construct. An ambitious challenge in this experiment will be to develop a brain classifying/decoding technique using MEEG signals to track the evolution from the veridical encoding of temporal properties to the construction of the illusory percept of time. The goal of this research proposal is to provide a novel approach to the study of time perception. Extension of this work will pave the way to a better understanding of what distinguishes temporal processing impairments from explicit time perception impairments in clinical disorders."

SummaryIn a recent paper with Larry Samuelson and David Schmeidler, we have proposed a model of inductive learning that unifies Bayesian, case-based, and rule-based learning. The model allows one to study the dynamics of induction, and, in particular, it showed that under fairly reasonable conditions, a reasoner who does not know the process she is facing is likely to converge to put more weight on case-based reasoning viz. a viz. Bayesian reasoning. The present proposal aims to generalize and extend this project in several directions. First, we intend to develop a decision theory under uncertainty that would accompany it, thereby unifying several existing decision theories and studying the dynamics of their relative importance in determining people's mode of decision making under uncertainty. Second, we intend to extend the present model, which is akin to representation of information by a capacity, to a multiple-capacity model, bringing together ideas from the multiple-prior model with the capacity model, and examining the implications of such a model to decision making. Third, we wish to study the origin of counterfactuals and their usage, based on a variant of the basic model, and to study their implications to game theoretic analysis. Fourth, we plan to study the dynamics of case-based vs. rule-based reasoning, as determined endogenously by the accumulation of data, and to extend our empirical similarity approach to this set-up.

In a recent paper with Larry Samuelson and David Schmeidler, we have proposed a model of inductive learning that unifies Bayesian, case-based, and rule-based learning. The model allows one to study the dynamics of induction, and, in particular, it showed that under fairly reasonable conditions, a reasoner who does not know the process she is facing is likely to converge to put more weight on case-based reasoning viz. a viz. Bayesian reasoning. The present proposal aims to generalize and extend this project in several directions. First, we intend to develop a decision theory under uncertainty that would accompany it, thereby unifying several existing decision theories and studying the dynamics of their relative importance in determining people's mode of decision making under uncertainty. Second, we intend to extend the present model, which is akin to representation of information by a capacity, to a multiple-capacity model, bringing together ideas from the multiple-prior model with the capacity model, and examining the implications of such a model to decision making. Third, we wish to study the origin of counterfactuals and their usage, based on a variant of the basic model, and to study their implications to game theoretic analysis. Fourth, we plan to study the dynamics of case-based vs. rule-based reasoning, as determined endogenously by the accumulation of data, and to extend our empirical similarity approach to this set-up.

SummaryWASP is aimed at developing realistic empirical equilibrium search models of the labour market, with heterogeneous agents and long-term self-enforcing contracts, that
• Can help better understand rent sharing mechanisms in labour markets, • Allow for multiple sources of productivity dynamics, including deterministic human capital accumulation and idiosyncratic productivity shocks, • Do not rule out sorting by assumption, nor the possibility of mismatch – as in perfectly competitive Beckerian marriage models, • Can fit linked employer-employee data in all three dimensions: across workers, firms and time, • Can be used for policy evaluation.
These research questions will be addressed within six different sub-projects:
1. Understanding tenure effects. Human capital accumulation and productivity shocks are introduced in a search-matching framework to explain the difference between tenure and experience effects.
2. Employment protection policies, wage dynamics and sorting. A search-matching model with productivity shocks is estimated on worker data and used to discuss the optimal design of employment protection policies.
3. Large firms, sorting and linked employer-employee data. Firms post more than one job offer. The model permits the use of linked employer-employee data for estimation.
4. Risk-aversion, savings and risk sharing. Risk-averse workers, subject to productivity shocks, are matched with risk-neutral employers. The model is used to measure the relative importance of self-insurance vis-à-vis insurance provided by the employer.
5. Unemployment, wage inequality and business cycle. Allowing for aggregate productivity shocks in a search-matching model with worker heterogeneity can explain the unemployment volatility puzzle and the effect of business cycles on the wage distribution.
6. Marriage, search and welfare policy. The intra-household resource allocation process is endogenised in a search model of marriage.

WASP is aimed at developing realistic empirical equilibrium search models of the labour market, with heterogeneous agents and long-term self-enforcing contracts, that
• Can help better understand rent sharing mechanisms in labour markets, • Allow for multiple sources of productivity dynamics, including deterministic human capital accumulation and idiosyncratic productivity shocks, • Do not rule out sorting by assumption, nor the possibility of mismatch – as in perfectly competitive Beckerian marriage models, • Can fit linked employer-employee data in all three dimensions: across workers, firms and time, • Can be used for policy evaluation.
These research questions will be addressed within six different sub-projects:
1. Understanding tenure effects. Human capital accumulation and productivity shocks are introduced in a search-matching framework to explain the difference between tenure and experience effects.
2. Employment protection policies, wage dynamics and sorting. A search-matching model with productivity shocks is estimated on worker data and used to discuss the optimal design of employment protection policies.
3. Large firms, sorting and linked employer-employee data. Firms post more than one job offer. The model permits the use of linked employer-employee data for estimation.
4. Risk-aversion, savings and risk sharing. Risk-averse workers, subject to productivity shocks, are matched with risk-neutral employers. The model is used to measure the relative importance of self-insurance vis-à-vis insurance provided by the employer.
5. Unemployment, wage inequality and business cycle. Allowing for aggregate productivity shocks in a search-matching model with worker heterogeneity can explain the unemployment volatility puzzle and the effect of business cycles on the wage distribution.
6. Marriage, search and welfare policy. The intra-household resource allocation process is endogenised in a search model of marriage.